Call for nominations for new WHO Vaccines-related Committee “Research for Product Development Advisory Committee” RPD-AC

RPD-AC will be asked to advise WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines & Biologicals related to the following functions, focusing on products/research of potential public health relevance to low and middle income countries:

“scanning the horizon” to identify new diseases where there is sufficient priority for WHO to initiate activities to stimulate vaccine development;

prioritizing and monitoring development of preferred product characteristics to inform target product profiles in use by vaccine manufacturers and funding agencies;

reviewing other WHO products, including methods, protocols, tools and approaches for accelerating product development and improving programmatic suitability;

stimulating research by partners in line with WHO priorities, and

advising WHO on ways to improve public access to information about products in development.

Expertise needed

Expertise in epidemiology preferably covering a wide range of vaccine-preventable diseases in low and middle income countries:

epidemiology/surveillance

clinical

virology

bacteriology

Expertise in pre-clinical and clinical (pre-licensure) immunogenicity, efficacy and safety of vaccines including those against influenza, human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, malaria, flaviviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, group A & B streptococcal disease, enteric disease such as norovirus, non-typhi salmonella, shigella and E. coli. Expertise related to available vaccines such as pneumococcal, rotavirus, HPV vaccines and others is also helpful. Those with experience in these areas in low/middle income country settings are preferred.

immunology

in vitro and in vivo model and assay

regulatory

vaccine safety clinical trials

efficacy clinical trials

Portfolio management expertise in experimental medicine/translational research and product development areas across a variety of diseases preferably with extensive experience in industry (current industry employment is an exclusion to appointment as a WHO advisor).

National regulatory agency representatives with extensive experience in vaccine clinical trials application review and review of regulatory dossiers for possible licensure for diseases of relevance to low and middle-income countries.